Search - Tony Martin :: Tony Martin Greatest Love Songs

Buy 'Greatest Hits' Instead....

blbooks | 08/17/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"After purchasing Tony Martin's Greatest Hits, I fell in love with Martin's voice. I was filled with hope and expectation that my second purchase, Tony Martin's Greatest Love Songs, would be just as good--if not better. After all, the love songs that appeared on Greatest Hits were fabulous (Here, Would I Love You, etc.). But I was disappointed with this album. Here's why:



The quality of the music on the cd is not as good as other Tony Martin cd's I've heard. On this cd, Martin's incredible voice is overshadowed by the loudness of the music. To even be able to hear the words clearly enough to discern the words...hence the meaning...you have to turn it up incredibly loud. But even that doesn't work quite the way you'd want it too...the music (which should be the background to the vocals) is just too loud, too overwhelming. The strings, the bass, and all the other instruments are just mixed to where they take center stage...which is just wrong in my opinion. I tried adjusting the settings from rock to pop to jazz to piano to loudness to vocal booster to classical. But none of my programmed settings seemed to clear up this problem.





Another drawback to this cd, there are absolutely no album liner notes. There is not a hint on the packaging as to when or where Tony Martin recorded these songs. My guess according to the sound of the music...late sixties to early seventies...but again...one is left to guess.



With an album named "Greatest Love Songs" you'd expect the songs to be....LOVE SONGS...but most of these songs are ambiguous as best to fit into that category. I just can't guess as to why these specific songs where chosen to appear on an album entitled "Greatest Love Songs." You'd think that the songs would have to fit at least these criterion: be a love song AND be great.



Man Without Love -- An okay song about a lonely guy who's been recently dumped...apparently. 3 stars at best



The Loveliest Night of the Year -- At least this song is clearly a love song...so that's a plus...and while this version seems a bit slower than I remember other versions being...it's not necessarily a count against this one. 4 stars.



Red Sails In the Sunset -- I suppose this song is a love song...although not one I'd ever think of as being particularly a great love song...it's about a man waiting for his fiancee to return home to him. 3 stars.



Aquarius -- This has to be the oddest selection on the album. One doesn't necessarily think anything "jazzy" or "easy listening" when it comes to the song Aquarius. (Aquarius minus the song Let the SunShine In) It sounds like a bad lounge club early seventies arrangement. Plus, other than perhaps reading it as a "love of mankind" kind've song...how does this qualify as a love song??? Did they forget this album was supposed to be love songs??? Where they desperate to find another track to include? 2 stars.



Harbor Lights -- Like the first song, Man Without Love, this song appears to be about a broken love affair instead of a love song. Granted, some of the great love songs are about broken relationships...but so far most of the songs on this album are about songs where the man is separated either for a short time or permanently from the woman he loves. Not a bad song. Just not one I'd choose as a "great" love song. 3 stars.



More -- in and of itself regardless of who sings it...is a great love song. I've heard better versions of it (Bobby Darin or Harry Connick Jr., for example), but it's not a bad song. 4 stars.



I Surrender Dear -- seems to be about a couple perhaps indulging in "forbidden love" or else playing a long game of hard-to-get. Anyway, he's making his intentions obvious in this song...not bad...but not a "great" love song in my opinion. 3 stars.



Blue Light of Yokohama -- appears to be remembering a past love affair...that for some reason or other has ended...3 stars



Ebb Tide -- a love song, it's true, but a great love song...??? I'm not putting it at the top of my list of romantic songs...but not bad...3 stars



On Moonlight Bay -- an okay song...again seems to be related to the sailing/sea theme that this album has seemed to be promoting throughout...3 stars.



I'm Always Chasing Rainbows -- I don't know how this song could be a love song...it might subtly be a lonesome because I don't have a love-of-my-own song...but you'd have to stretch it to make it a love song. He seems to be embracing his pessimistic glass-half-empty philosophy. 2 stars



Those Were The Days -- This song like the above (I'm Always Chasing Rainbows) is another downer, depressing song...that is about as far away from a "love" song as you can get. By far, in my opinion, one of the worst songs on the album.

1 star.



Canadian Sunset -- perhaps chosen because the cd was made in Canada...who knows...it is technically a love song...since it is about a couple falling in love with each other "over a weekend in Canada" but a great love song....??? 3 stars.



The Moon of Manakoora -- again seems to be about a couple falling in love with each other...this time in a more exotic location...but this song is even less to my liking than the one before (Canadian Sunset) 2 stars.



I'll See You In My Dreams -- like so many on this so-called Greatest Love Song collection...seems to be about a broken love affair. Not necessarily a bad song, sometimes it's nice to listen to depressing songs about love affairs gone wrong...but on a collection of "love songs" can't there be more than one or two where everything works out in the end??? 3 stars.



In conclusion...if interested in Tony Martin....buy another album besides this one...I suggest Greatest Hits of Tony Martin by RCA."

Inferior Sound Quality

Bahjat A. Faraj | Senellville, GA | 09/09/2006

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I love Tony Martin. He is one of the greatest singers of popular music of the 20th century. Unfortunately, this album does an injustice to his musical talent. There are many reasons for that. Firstly, the selection of the songs do not reflect the real title of the album. The sound quality of the CD is very poor. Tony martin has a very rich tenor voice that comes through clearly in all of his recorded albums with the exception of this one. You can hardly hear Tony Martin's voice. It is buried by disproportional loud musical background with abnormal base sound. This album is an insult to Tony Martin voice and his music. Because this album is of such an inferior quality, it should be deleted from your list."